Being motivated and curious counts for more than being smart because it leads to action.

Remember the greatest motivator is belief. We have to inculcate in ourselves the belief that we are responsible for our actions and behavior. When people accept responsibility, everything improves: quality, productivity, relationships and teamwork.

I am not really motivated by confidence. Nor by curiosity. What I would say is, it’s more anxiety. I spend much more time being anxious than being confident or being curious. My mind sort of constantly worries. It’s not confidence — okay, I have of course some self-confidence, but it’s not a kind of overreaching confidence, by no means. I knew only one person who had overreaching confidence, that was Michael Atiyah. I really liked him a lot. He could jump to other topics. But I am not like him. I am much more motivated by the fact that when I do not understand something, it makes me suffer. It puts me into a state of misery. I am feeling bad until I understand. That’s exactly the motivating force.

Excitement is a better motivator than discipline. The people who appear to have an exceptional work ethic or remarkable discipline are often those with a genuine curiosity or interest in that area. The person who smiles is more likely to keep working than the person gritting their teeth.

A generous and elevated mind is distinguished by nothing more certainly than an eminent degree of curiosity.

Curiosity keeps us happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. If curiosity were a pill, all the world's pharmaceutical companies would call it a super-drug and clamor to sell it.

The fourth and final motivator is the desire for significance: the need for one's life to matter, the need to make a difference in the world.

On a range from intrinsically motivated to extrinsic motivation I am stubbornly curious

Competition can be an effective motivator, but don't let it choose the problem for you. Don't let yourself get drawn into chasing something merely because there's a lot of competition for it.

Free curiosity has greater power to stimulate learning than rigorous coercion. Nevertheless, the free ranging flux of curiosity is channeled by discipline under Your Law.

Research has shown that of all forms of human motivation the most effective one is progress. Why? Because a small, concrete win creates momentum and affirms our faith in our further success.

True motivation comes from achievement, personal development, job satisfaction, and recognition.

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.